1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a toner supplying container detachably attachable to a main body of an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a printer or a facsimile apparatus using an electrophotographic process or an electrostatic recording process, and an image forming apparatus supplied with a toner from the toner supplying container.
2. Description of the Related Art
A conventional image forming apparatus capable of recording in a plurality of colors has been as follows.
It will hereinafter be described with reference to FIG. 3 of the accompanying drawings. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a rotary member.
The image forming apparatus has a so-called rotary type developing apparatus having a plurality of developing means (hereinafter referred to as the developing devices 52) and containers (hereinafter referred to as the toner bottles 15) containing therein a plurality of developers (hereinafter referred to as the toners) corresponding thereto circumferentially disposed in a cylindrical rotary member 51.
The reference numeral 51 designates the entire rotary member, the reference numeral 52 denotes the developing devices (of which only 52y is shown), and the reference numeral 15 designates the toner bottles (of which only 15c and 15y are shown). In the present example, there are held the developing devices and toner bottles of three colors, i.e., magenta (suffix m), cyan (suffix c) and yellow (suffix y).
The rotary member 51 is rotated to oppose a developing device 52 of a desired color to a photosensitive member (not shown), thereby visualizing a latent image on the photosensitive member with a toner.
When the toners become exhausted, a user interchanges the toner bottles 15 to thereby supplement.
The rotary member 51 is rotatably held in an apparatus main body (not shown), and has its rotation stoppage controlled at a desired rotational angle and speed by the use of a motor (not shown) provided in the apparatus main body.
The toner bottles 15 are provided with operating levers (hereinafter referred to as the bottle knobs) 1 (1m, 1c, 1y), and by these bottle knobs 1 being operated, the toner bottles 15 can be fixed/released relative to the rotary member 51.
The toner bottles 15 are inserted and removed in the direction of the rotary shaft of the rotary member 51 (the direction of arrow A in FIG. 3).
The surrounding portions of the toner bottle interchanging portion of the apparatus main body will now be described with reference to FIG. 4 of the accompanying drawings.
The reference numeral 11 designates the apparatus main body, and the reference numeral 12 denotes an opening for interchanging the toner bottles 15 therethrough.
When the toners become exhausted during an image forming operation, the apparatus discontinues image forming and calls upon the user to interchange the toner bottle 15 by a message or the like on the display of an operating portion.
The user opens the front cover (not shown) of the apparatus and has access to the opening 12. The user rotates the bottle knob 1 by a predetermined angle to thereby release the toner bottle 15 from the rotary member 51. Then, the user draws out the toner bottle 15 toward the side of the apparatus.
Even in an apparatus having toner bottles 15 of a plurality of colors, the number of the opening 12 for interchanging the toner bottles 15 therethrough is one.
This is because in the actually used state of the apparatus, it is rare that the toners of a plurality of colors become exhausted at the same time.
Further, if a plurality of interchange doors are provided, it will become possible for the user to have access to the plurality of toner bottles 15 and therefore, the toner bottle 15 to be interchanged will be difficult to recognize. Consequently, it is more advantageous to the user that a toner bottle 15 in which the toner has become exhausted waits in the opening 12.
The toner bottle 15 will now be described with reference to FIGS. 5A and 5B of the accompanying drawings. FIG. 5A is a front view of the toner bottle 15. FIG. 5B is a perspective view of a portion of the toner bottle 15.
The reference numeral 2 designates a toner containing portion, and the reference numeral 3 denotes a shutter. The letter S designates a reflection type sensor provided in the apparatus main body 11, and the reference character 1a denotes a reflecting surface for reflecting light emitted from the sensor S.
The bottle knob 1 has a rotary shaft parallel to the rotary shaft of the rotary member 51, and the bottle knob 1 is rotated by a predetermined amount to thereby fix or release the toner bottle 15 relative to the rotary member 51. Simultaneously therewith, the opening and closing of the shutter 3 provided in the communicating portion between the toner bottle 15 and the developing device 52, or between the toner bottle 15 and an intermediate hopper portion (not shown) are also effected (see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H11-194600).
The shutter 3 is opened when the toner bottle 15 is fixed, and is closed when the toner bottle 15 is released.
The intermediate hopper portion is a region having the function of once storing therein the toner from the toner bottle 15 and feeding a desired amount of it into the developing device 52.
The reflecting surface 1a is provided on the side surface (circumference) of the bottle knob 1, and the reflection type sensor S is installed so as to detect toward the center of rotation of the bottle knob 1.
When the user rotates the bottle knob 1, the reflecting surface 1a comes off from the detection area of the sensor S, whereby it can be detected that the user has rotated the bottle knob 1 or that the toner bottle 15 is in its drawn-out state.
The following problems arise in a case where as shown in the conventional art, the reflecting surface is provided on the side surface (circumference) of the bottle knob 1 and the reflection type sensor S is installed so as to detect toward the center of rotation of the bottle knob 1.                The detecting surface of the reflection type sensor S is near to such portions handling the toner as the shutter 3 and the developing device 52 and therefore, faulty detection due to toner stains is liable to be caused.        If the reflecting surface la is present on the side surface of the rotary member 51, when the rotary member 51 is rotated or stopped, one of the reflecting surfaces 1a of the plurality of toner bottles 15 will be stopped while facing substantially upwardly without fail and therefore, the toner is liable to accumulate thereon, and this is liable to cause faulty detection.        When the detecting surface of the reflection type sensor S is stained, to clean it, it is necessary to detach a single piece of the sensor S or the sensor unit from the apparatus main body 11, and this leads to a bad working property.        Usually, after the toner bottle 15 has been interchanged, the user enters the recovery operation of rotating the rotary member 51 several times or rotating the photosensitive member. However, judgment as to whether the toner bottle 15 has been interchanged can be effected only by a front cover opening-closing detection signal (usually the front cover is provided with a sensor for detecting the opening and closing thereof) and therefore, when the user has opened and closed the front cover for some reason or other without interchanging the toner bottle 15, the user performs the recovery operation in spite of the toner bottle 15 having not been interchanged.        
This will hereinafter be described with the user's operation and the detection signal made to correspond to each other. First comes the description of a normal procedure.
(1) The toner becomes exhausted during the image forming operation, and image forming is discontinued and therefore, the user is called upon to interchange the toner bottle 15 by a message displayed on an operating portion.
(2) The user opens the front cover of the apparatus (not shown).
(3) The user starts the interchange of the toner bottle 15 with reference to an interchanging method or the like on the display of the operating portion.
(4) The user rotates the bottle knob 1 by a predetermined angle to thereby release the toner bottle 15 from the rotary member 51.
(5) The user draws out the toner bottle 15 toward this side of the apparatus.
(6) The user inserts a new toner bottle 15.
(7) The user rotates the bottle knob 1 by a predetermined angle and fixes it.
(8) The user closes the front cover.
Movements in the image forming apparatus corresponding thereto are as follows.
(1) When the toner becomes exhausted during the image forming operation, the apparatus discontinues image forming, and calls upon the user to interchange the toner bottle 15 by a message on the display of the operating portion.
(2) A sensor signal for opening the front cover is detected.
(3) In response to the signal, the display of the operating portion is changed over to the display of the interchanging procedure.
(4) to (6) (There is no change during the user's interchange of the toner bottle 15.)
(7) The sensor S receives reflected light from the reflecting surface 1a to thereby detect the fixing of the toner bottle 15. In response to the signal, the display of the operating portion is changed over to display for calling upon the user to close the front cover.
(8) The closing of the front cover is detected, and the display of the operating portion is returned to the ordinary display. The recovery sequence is started, and after it is completed, image forming is resumed.
An example of the user's abnormal action will now be described.
(1) The toner becomes exhausted during the image forming operation, and image forming is discontinued, the user is called upon to interchange the toner bottle 15 by a message on the display of the operating portion.
(2) The user opens the front cover of the apparatus (not shown).
(3) However, the user becomes aware that they have prepared a toner bottle of a wrong color, and again closes the front cover.
(4) The user has prepared a right bottle, but cannot immediately interchange with it because the apparatus is in operation.
(5) Toner absence is again displayed and the interchange of the toner bottle 15 is resumed (thereafter, normal action takes place).
The movements in the image forming apparatus corresponding thereto are as follows.
(1) When the toner becomes exhausted during the image forming operation, the apparatus discontinues image forming, and calls upon the user to interchange the toner bottle 15 by a message or the like on the display of the operating portion.
(2) A sensor signal for opening the front cover is detected.
(3) A signal for closing the front cover is again detected, and it is judged that the toner bottle 15 has been interchanged, and the display of the operating portion is returned to the ordinary display.
(4) The recovery operation is started. After it is completed, image forming is resumed.
5) Image forming is resumed, but the toner bottle 15 has not been interchanged and therefore, toner absence is immediately displayed.
If as described above, only the detection of the opening and closing of the front cover is used as a judgment signal for the interchange of the toner bottle 15, when the user performs abnormal action, the display of the operating portion is returned to the ordinary display or the recovery operation is repeated many times, in spite of the toner bottle 15 having not been interchanged.
To solve this, it is conceivable to discretely provide detecting means capable of detecting the presence or absence of the toner bottle 15 itself, but this will result in the rise of the cost of the apparatus and the complication of the apparatus, and is not advisable.